The Reincarnation Lottery
by zXFallenAngelsXz
Summary: I had been Eloise Ann Roberts, 15, female, and deceased. Then I was unlucky enough to be chosen in a game of lots. Now I'm Blaise Blaze, 12, male, and very much alive - in a world I'm all too familiar with. Remind me to pound in Mr. Faceless Voice's face when I manage to find him, will ya? Rated T for language, gender-bending, & violence. No pairings (probably).
1. An Eye for an Eye

_This is my first time writing for HxH, so forgive any mischaracterization and such. Constructive criticism is very welcome. Also, I'll probably work on this story pretty randomly, so don't expect regular updates. Regular updates and me = impossible, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. This follows the 2011 anime. Tell me what you think of Eloise/Blaise so far! Also, this will have a few references to other animes/shows and a couple of bad puns. Please forgive the puns, lol. _

* * *

**The Reincarnation Lottery**

* * *

_An Eye for an Eye_

* * *

"What happened?" I questioned, gazing around the room I was in. White covered everything, making it seem as if I was just in an endless expanse of the color. Not the most pleasant experience, given that white was probably my least favorite color. "I thought I had died."

"You did," a smooth voice confirmed. I blinked in surprise, searching for the source but finding none. Alone in the small room, there was no one else and there weren't any speakers on the walls, either. So, I was either going crazy from head trauma…or I was talking with some type of other dead person.

"Not quite," the man denied, "I can hardly be a dead person when I've never been alive before, at least in the humans' sense of the word." _Great_. He's a mind reader.

"So…is this Heaven or something?" I asked with a displeased look on my face, crossing my arms. "Because, if it is, you guys _really_ need to redecorate. I'd rather go down the elevator if I have to live in a white box." There were no lights, no television, no sofa, no computer, and most importantly, no Wi-Fi. If I stayed here, I'd die of boredom. Again.

The voice chuckled. "You seem to be taking this rather well, Eloise Ann Roberts."

I winced at the use of my full name. If there was anything I wouldn't forgive my mother for, it was naming me _that_. Individually, it wasn't that bad and the names were nice, but together and written on _my_ name tag, it was too unfitting. The name Eloise didn't suit me – my mom even admitted to it – and Ann Roberts was the name of an author, so I felt like I was plagiarizing a name if I went by it. Weird, I know, but that's just how I was.

"Of course I'm taking it well. I was kind of expecting to die in the hit," I huffed, recalling the screech of tires and excruciating pain lacing throughout my body. "And call me Louise, if ya could."

"Very well," he agreed. "Still, it's odd for someone to be so nonchalant about their own death. Usually, when people are brought to this room, they're shocked and denying the evidence."

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders and taking a seat on the white ground with a sigh. It wasn't even that comfortable. "I'm pretty good at accepting reality. Now, if you brought me to the Velvet Room and there was a creepy guy with a pretty lady across from me, then maybe I would be a bit freaked out." Seeing Igor after death wasn't on my bucket list, thank you very much. "By the way, you still haven't answered my first question."

"Right, right," he hummed, "As for your question, no, this is not Heaven." I relaxed in relief. "This is actually a special place that people set for a…unique reincarnation cycle come to. You, Louise, have entered the cycle as of today."

"Reincarnation? A unique one?" My tone was a bit surprised. I was going to live again? I couldn't decide if I was happy about that or not. "Why me? I haven't done anything special." The only things I ever did in my life were the same things as everyone else – eat, sleep, school, computer, music, and anime; nothing extravagant. The only thing I had that was 'unordinary' about me was the way karma always comes back and bites me in the ass. Imagine my surprise when I had been joking to my sister a few months ago that 'the only day I want to get hit by a car is August 15th' and then, low and behold, August 15th comes around and I die by being hit by a car. I blame my obsession with Kagerou Project.

"Ah, but you have, remember? You saved your cousin from dying."

I blinked. Ah, that's right. That was the whole reason I got hit. My cousin had wandered into the road while my aunt and uncle hadn't been watching – as if that was anything new – and then I'd noticed just as a car had come speeding down the road. My tongue clicked in annoyance. The idiot that was speeding in a neighborhood slow zone better have gone to jail for being an asshole. At least my cousin was alright, if I was getting a second chance for saving her. That was a relief. It'd have been stupid if we _both_ died.

"I didn't do much, though," I said in exasperation. The more I thought about it, the more living life a second time sounded like a drag. I'd already made it through 15 years of my life – with the teenage angst and everything – and ten grades of schoolwork. I didn't fancy doing it all over again. "If anything, saving Lucy should've just sent me to Heaven. Take it as compensation for all the times I ignored my responsibilities or hurt someone's feelings."

"Sorry, I can't do that. The decision has already been made. Only people chosen before they die get the chance at this special reincarnation and you just happen to meet the requirements. It's undoable, you can say," he informed me. "The cycle will continue until you no longer fit the criteria."

My brow twitched. "Oh, and what are these requirements of yours? I need to know so that I can avoid this in the future, given that I'll remember ever being here."

"The requirements are as followed: one, you must save someone else's life before your death. We take the human saying 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' very seriously. It's a life for a life. Since you saved one life, you will only have one more life span unless you save other lives in your new life; two, you're lot must be drawn out of the number of people who have passed the first requirement. Those are the only requirements. There were quite a bit more than usual this time around, but you were chosen. You must have good luck granted to you. Once your lot is chosen once, you will continue to reincarnate if you follow the first requirement."

"My fate was decided by _drawing lots_?!" Well, there goes my impression of a greater power: straight down the toilet.

"Yes," he stated, "It is decided as so to avoid any internal conflict or favoritism."

"Good to know," I muttered, "But you keep saying that it's a unique type of reincarnation. It seems pretty normal to me – save life, get life. Unless there's a difference…?" I asked, fishing for answers. The more I knew, the more I could end with two lives and no more. Can you imagine living different lives over and over and over again? It'd grow tedious. All I had to do was avoid saving anyone's life, but what if I couldn't avoid it? I wasn't heartless, so if I did end up saving someone, maybe there was a backdoor out or something.

"There is no such thing as this 'backdoor' you speak of." Right, he was a mind reader. Smart move, Louise. "As to answer your question, the reincarnation cycle you are entering is very different from regular reincarnation. Regular reincarnation serves as a type of Purgatory and the person will continue to be reincarnated until his or her fate has been decided. They will continue to be born over again in the world they were first born. The type of reincarnation cycle you will be entering is different. It's more of a reward, of sorts. You will not be reincarnated into a mother's womb, but rather in grown body, and you will not be reincarnated back in your original world."

This was completely insane, but I found myself curious. "Oh, so I'm going to be transported to a random world? In my original body?" That'd be a miracle, considering I was one hundred percent positive that several of my bones had shattered upon impact. I would probably be a bloody mess and scare the locals.

"The world chosen is not random. The reason why it's a reward is because it coincides with your interests from your first life. The last thing you watched or read, that you enjoyed, is your destination," he explained calmly and I froze. Wait, what? I scoured my mind. The last thing I watched was…Hunter x Hunter. Good, it wasn't something like Attack on Titan. I'd be dead before I even started again, with my luck. Though, maybe that would be for the best, since I wouldn't have time to save another life. _Hmm…_

"As for your body, it will not be your original. Unfortunately, once people have died, they can no longer enter their bodies if it has taken significant damage. Thankfully, though, it is protocol to be given a new body at the start of a new life cycle. You will be given a body that will coincide with the world you will be reincarnated in."

"How does a body coincide with a world?" I chuckled.

"Hm, fair point," he said. "Rather than the body coinciding with the world, it will coincide with your preferences of the world. For example, your age will most likely be decided by your favorite person of that world."

Damn it, Killua. Now I was gonna have to go through puberty and teenage-hood all over again. I sighed and nodded my head to let him know I understood. This was becoming a long conversation and I just wanted to start my new life and avoid anything that could be potentially dangerous or involved with the plot line. If I was gonna live a second time, I might as well take advantage of it and take the chance to make good friends and grow older than my measly fifteen years, maybe even get married and have kids. Too bad they'd have no grandparents, unless I was magically going to be added to someone's family without them questioning my existence.

"You will not," he answered my internal musing. "You will be reincarnated with no connections by bloodline or friendship. No one will know you and you will be given a fresh start." Wait, how was I supposed to survive on my own, then?! I'd be a twelve year old living on the street with no money!

"I would wish to provide you with more answers, but our time here has ended. You will soon begin your new life cycle. Every concern you have will be dealt with accordingly." Gee, thanks, that's reassuring. Please note my sarcasm, Mr. Faceless Voice.

The white around me grew brighter and brighter, making me squint my eyes at the suddenness. It felt warm, and it was growing hotter and hotter. The air was thinning and it was getting difficult to breath, which was odd since I was already dead and shouldn't need to be breathing at the moment. I felt like gravity was pushing down on me and there was a ringing in my ears that sounded like a cacophony of noises buzzing together too rapidly. It still didn't stop me from hearing Mr. Faceless Voice's last words, though.

"You shall begin your new cycle now, Eloise Ann Roberts. I wish you luck on your Hunter Examination."

* * *

My eyes shot open as I sucked in a greedy breath of air, filling my previously empty lungs. My heart thudded painfully fast in my chest before slowing and my previous weightlessness was replaced with the warm, familiar weight of a body and cloth on skin. I blinked in confusion, my face buried in, what I assumed were, my knees. I lifted my head slightly, seeing my legs were curled to my chest, my arms tucked securely between my chest and legs. Haha, figures I'd be in fetal position – reborn and all.

With a certain stiffness of being unused to the body I was in, I unfurled my legs and stretched them out, checking out the new body I'd be living in. My legs were much shorter than before and scrawny, adorned with a pair of black-grey cargo shorts. My feet were covered with black and red sneakers. At least my taste in clothes carried over to this body – which was thankfully clothed. I hadn't asked Mr. Faceless Voice if I'd be reincarnated stark naked or not and it was relieving to find that the answer was negative. How embarrassing would it be to wake up naked in some random place? Very.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice commented, interrupting my examination, and it sounded somewhat familiar. My eyes blinked lethargically before I tilted my head back to see who was talking to me, my face scrunching up in baffled curiosity as I realized I was sitting on dirt in a room with little light and, as far as I could tell, a lot of people. As I reached the face of the person, however, I immediately knew what was going on. Damn it all.

Tonpa smiled down at me in that 'I'm completely harmless' way. "I thought you were going to sleep all the way through the Exam," he laughed 'good-naturedly'.

With some effort from my stiff limbs, I stood, dusting off my shorts and almost falling over by the unexpected weight on my left side. Quickly, I regained my balance and checked what it was: a messenger bag was resting at my hip. Pretending I wasn't completely off-put and cursing Mr. Faceless Voice in my mind, I offered the man a sheepish grin that stretched oddly at my face. I would _definitely_ have to get used to this new body business or risk looking like an idiot for looking like everything I did felt awkward.

I gave him a small laugh that brushed against my dry throat uncomfortably. "Haha, that would be–" I froze. My voice sounded weird. Weird as in, too boyish to be a twelve-year-old _girl's_. My hand shot up to my throat in a frenzy. They _didn't_–!

Oh, but they _had_ and I suddenly felt like hunting down Mr. Faceless Voice to make sure his nonexistent face got rearranged quite nicely. I must have made a face because Tonpa was suddenly raising a questioning brow at me.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Er, yeah…just a bit thirsty. My throats really dry," I said, removing my hand from my neck as casually as possible. The next instant, his face brightened and he was pulling out a can of juice from his bag with a smile. My eyes narrowed the slightest before I froze, an idea striking my mind like lightning. This was the perfect way to get out of the Hunter Exam! Sure, I'd be stuck in a bathroom for about three days, but I wanted to avoid this as much as possible. Getting involved with the plot would be too difficult.

"Here, this should fix your throat," Tonpa offered the can and I made an expression of such gratitude that it probably looked like I thought he was godsend or something, sparkling eyes and all. I grasped the can with pale fingers and a brief thanks before popping it open and then downing it. The sugary drink actually soothed my throat a lot, so that was just a bonus. Now it was just a waiting game until I finally started feeling sick to the stomach.

"Thanks! You're a life saver," I hummed with a lazy half-smirk, stretching my body and feeling several pops along my arms and legs. I felt kind of bad for my body – it was new and I was about to abuse it just to get out of the main plot. The empty can was placed beside me as I took a seat once more, folding one leg into chest. "I guess I owe you one, mister."

He chuckled and was probably internally sneering, "No problem. Let's just say it's a token to our newfound friendship." 'Cause _that_ wasn't creepily abrupt or anything. You'd think he'd learn to be a bit more subtle. He was suspicious all over. "I'm Tonpa, by the way. I haven't seen you around before, so you're a rookie, right?"

"Bingo~! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Veteran. How many times have you taken the Exam?" Might as well play along, I mused.

"This is my thirty-six attempt," he boasted, which was kind of pitiful. If the only thing you can brag about is that you've failed the Hunter Exam thirty-six times, then you need to work on your life a bit. "If you need to know about anything, feel free to ask me. Nobody knows more about the test than me," he smirked, pointing a thumb to his chest.

"I'll keep that in mind."

He nodded before heading off to find a seat somewhere on the pipes lined along the walls of the tunnel we were in, his 'job' done now that I had drank the juice. My eyes shifted back to my hands, flexing curiously at the black wrist guards covering most of my forearms and palms, the protective material around my knuckles replaced with metal. With a shrug, I turned my attention to my bag, propping it on my lap and beginning to rummage through it.

Inside were two bottles of water, a pair of rollerblades (that would explain the wrist guards), elbow and knee guards, four granola bars, a necklace with two beads, an MP3 player with earphones, and a hand mirror with a piece of paper taped to the front. Eager, I took out the mirror, not caring if this was gonna look extremely egotistic if anybody was watching, and my eyes scanned the contents of the paper in surprise. It was a note from Mr. Faceless Voice.

_Dear Eloise Ann Roberts, _it began and I was already frowning. _By the time you are reading this, you should be waiting for the 287__th__ Hunter Examination to begin. As you had wished to not participate in the 'plot' of this world, I must sincerely apologize. However, this reincarnation cycle requires you to participate in important events and if not followed, you will most likely be punished in a suitable way. It's a strict rule all the chosen must follow. Feel free to 'tweak' the 'plot' of this world's original course of action, but beware the consequences that come along with it. As I'm sure you've learned, the Law of Attraction can be a humorously ironic element. _

I groaned. This was _wonderful_ – if I had known I'd be punished for not doing the Exam, I wouldn't have downed something with laxative. This is gonna end _splendidly_, I can tell.

_On another note, I shall explain the abilities of your new body, so that you won't do something terribly reckless thinking you suddenly have unbeatable superpowers. Firstly, you are now twelve years old and male. I'm sure you've already noticed this change. Second, you now have a stronger physical body, strong enough to be up to par with the main set of people this world is surrounding. You're hearing, smell, strength, speed, agility, and eyesight have all improved beyond what was considered amazing in your world. Second, you have inherited a few selected abilities and skills from people you are familiar with in this world. _

I perked up in interest. Inherited skills? With a raised brow, I continued reading. _This process in your unique reincarnation cycle is called Furbishing. Every time you are reincarnated, you will be able to keep one of the skills or abilities you earned in one world and inherit it in the next, while inheriting new skills and abilities in that world. If chosen wisely, you could end up very powerful, but you need to proceed with caution, due to Balancing, which changes your body's properties so that it can continue its stability. _

_For this reincarnation, you are to be gifted with silence, pain tolerance, and immunity to poisons._ I blinked before a smile spread across my face as a giddy, childish excitement built in my chest. This was undeniably awesome – I was immune to _poison_! The pain tolerance thing could come in handy, as well. The thing I was most happy about, though, was that I wouldn't have to be punished for skipping the Exam, since the laxatives wouldn't work on me. I was a bit relieved. I hadn't felt like spending three days in the bathroom much.

_There are a few other things I'd like to explain to you, but since I do not have enough room on this paper, you will have to discover them on your own. You're family background and personal history have all been arranged and you'll know what they are when the time comes. I wish you the best of luck, Eloise Ann Roberts. _I scowled again. I had told him to call me Louise, but he still insisted on my full name, like some parent scolding their child. _Best regards, Mr. Faceless Voice._

I choked on my spit at the ending sentence before letting out a helpless laugh. Right, mind reader. I folded the paper and stuffed it back in my bag before turning my attention back to the mirror, ignoring the urge to make sure no one was looking and assume I was vain or something. Then again, who carries a mirror in their bag unless they're vain?

Wide, emerald green eyes framed by long, somewhat girlish lashes, stared back at me, brown bangs casting shadows over my face. An amused snort immediately escaped my lips. I looked like a younger, more emotional, sweeter, version of Oreki Houtarou. The twelve year old brunet reflected in the mirror laughed with me, eyes glittering and cheeks dusting a light pink as his lips curved upwards in a charming, lopsided grin. As much as I hated to sound full of myself, this new body of mine was decently handsome and that thought sent me laughing once more. This was too weird.

My amused laughter was cut off as a loud man's scream and my head shot up in shock, hand shoving the mirror back into my bag and closing it back up. I swiftly got to my feet, trying to locate the source of the screaming by scanning the crowd. The only thing I could see at my current height, though, was a group of people giving a very familiar person a wide berth: Hisoka. Pretty, vivid, flowers floated into the air from a spot where I could see someone kneeling. Right, I'd almost forgotten about this part.

Despite knowing that some poor man had just lost his arms, I was awestruck with the display. It was not only an amazing trick, but it was also really _beautiful_. The flowers petals were mesmerizing, in their own odd way, appearing from a warm pink light. "Pretty…," the word left my mouth unbidden.

He must have heard me because seconds later, golden eyes flicked over to me for a brief moment, locking with mine. I stared straight back despite the chill spreading over my body and Hisoka's lips curled into a smirk before turning back to the man. Swallowing thickly, I felt my heart speed up a bit in nervousness. _I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen and hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass…_

"Oh, how peculiar," he crowed to the man on the ground, "His arms seem to have become flower petals. No smoke and mirrors here." He gestured with his hands to show they were free of anything. "Do be careful. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize." Duly noted. I swear, both Hisoka and Death when it comes to people bumping into them – it was the main reason I was so polite with strangers.

As the people around him edged further away, he disappeared into the parted crowd. Almost immediately, the scene he'd created was over and despite the tense air, everybody went back to their business, chatting with different examinees. I snorted. It was as if they hadn't just seen a man's arms vanish into flowers. If I hadn't expected it, I probably would've been a bit freaked out. Then again, this _was_ the Hunter Exam – this was probably expected in some way or other.

Shaking my head to myself, I leaned back against the large pipes embedded in the tunnels wall, bored. My attention was drawn down to the tag pinned to the white sleeveless hoodie I was wearing, a harsh contrast with the long-sleeved blank-and-red striped shirt I was wearing underneath. The number _115 _was printed neatly on the tag and I clicked my new fingernails against it curiously (which looked like well-kept women's nails, by the way – about half a centimeter longer than the tips of my fingers and oddly filed into a perfect curve).

Judging by my number, I had supposedly been here for a while. Did everyone here think I'd been here the whole time, only sleeping? If so, I must have come off as horribly lethargic. Not that it was a lie, but it still wasn't the best first impression. Oh well. It didn't really matter, I guess.

"Oh, you're still standing!" a voice said from the side, some surprise and vague excitement leaking into the tone. I turned to look at the speaker, heart restarting at a frantic, giddy pace. With his unruly white hair and bright blue eyes, Killua Zoldyck stood beside me with his skateboard gripped lazily under his arm. My teeth sunk into my lower lip, trying to control the sound my heart was producing because it seriously sounded loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"H-Huh?" I stuttered, internally bashing my head on the wall for sounded so damn _lame_. But, hey, this was my favorite character here – it was kind of a given I'd be having a fangirl attack. "O-Oh, you mean the drink, right…?" I fished. That _was_ what he was talking about, right?

A small smile slipped on his lips as he nodded. "You drank it, so I was waiting for you to run out of the room holding your stomach," he laughed and I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me at the show of his brutal honesty, anxiety melting off like butter. I shifted to lean more comfortably against the pipes.

"Guess you can say I'm kind of immune," I gave a half-shrug as if it was no big deal, restraining the grin I was holding back. This was too cool.

"Oh?" he gave a grin, face brightening, "You want to see who can drink more?"

A rush of playful competitiveness surged through me, making me straighten with a nod, the grin I'd been holding back slipping. "Sure," I chirped, my pointer finger going into the air. "Whoever wins owes the other something. I don't really care what it is, so you can choose."

Another grin. "You're on!" With that, the two of us began to scour the crowd for the stumpy liar of a man. There was Bodoro, the Amori brothers, Pokkle, Ponzu, and a lot of others that I didn't recognize mixed in with the familiar crowd.

"I'm Killua, by the way," Killua introduced himself after a few moments of searching the crowd. "What's your name?"

My steps almost faltered at the unexpected question and I hurried to cover it up by giving a small cough. "I'm…," my voice trailed, "Blaise." My goodness, that had to be the worst impromptu name _ever_. The meaning of the name would forever haunt me and I was now stuck with it. At least I can be amused about it, though. Who else can say that they named themselves something with _that_ type of meaning when coming up with a pseudonym? In fact, it was quite brilliant.

"Ah, there he is," my finger pointed out the direction of the short man as he came into my view, hoping to change attention from my slight pause.

"Hey, Tonpa-san!" Killua called out to the man, waving an arm in the air with a happy smile. "Could we have more of that juice? Must be my nerves. I'm really thirsty," he fibbed and I followed his lead, nodding my head with an awkward grin blooming on my face. I think it was finally hitting me that I was interacting with other people. Now, I wasn't afraid of people or anything, but I was the type of person who liked to avoid them since they were usually more trouble than they were worth.

Well, at least the people _I_ had associated with before. It just happens that I got involved with the wrong people and had consequently decided I disliked people and immersed myself with anime, music, and writing. Once I'd gotten down that road, there was no coming back. In the end, I had died in my world without any close friends. The only people I'd bothered to associate with was my family, but even that was unsavory for several reasons.

"Yeah, me too," I added, shaking away my thoughts, "My throats still been bugging me, but your juice helped a lot."

The man turned to us with a confused noise before quickly covering it up with a forced smile and a wave as we headed over to collect our juice. In the end, we both managed to secure three cans each, popping open the first can and beginning a contest of who could drink it faster, rather than who could drink more since Tonpa had gotten cheap with us.

Slightly warm, orange-flavored juice washed down my throat in gulps as I hurried to finish the can and move on. Killua and I both moved our mouths from the can at the same time and I was already opening my next can when he began speaking to the rookie crusher with a smirk on his face, eyes closed calmly. Since we hadn't set any rules, I began to slowly sip at the juice, focused on my two companions.

"Worried?" he started before continuing, "I'll be fine. I've trained." His eyes were sharp are they opened and I felt my heart skip a beat at how cool he looked at the moment. "Poisons won't affect me or Blaise."

Killua turned to look at me, as if to ask me to confirm I'd be fine, before blinking and hurrying to open his second can of juice. "Ah, cheater! You aren't supposed to start without me!" he complained as I sent him a cheeky grin. If there was anything I was good at, it was playing dirty.

"All's fair in love and war~"

My third can popped open with a click just as Killua finished his second one and opened his third with his other hand. A loud chime rang throughout the room just as Killua and I finished our drinks, at the same time. I clicked my tongue in slight disappointment, pouting. "Tch, it was a draw," I whined.

"Was not," Killua spoke up, "I finished mine a second faster!"

My brow twitched. "Did not! We both finished at the same time!"

"You obviously didn't count the seconds," he smirked cockily, but my retort of 'intelligent insults' was cut off as the weird alarm stopped, to be replaced with the sound of a boulder moving. Or a wall rising, I mused, turning to the sound to see a thick wall lifting slowly. My argument with Killua was suspended to pay attention to examiner that had just been revealed.

"I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended," Satotz announced, "The Hunter Exam will begin now!" At that, I could practically feel the air buzz with excitement and determination, with a mix of anxiety. This was it – there was no going back now. My fate had been decided and there was nothing I could do about it, unless I wanted to be punished.

My hands found their way into my short's pockets, rolling my heels on the ground, a habit that showed I was resigning to whatever was happening. No use in worrying about it now. My heels had little resistance and I found myself smirking at my new discovery. Well, didn't Mr. Faceless Voice know me awfully well~?

"A final caution," Satotz said, "If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead." His almost-blank face was staring us all down and I felt a sense of restlessness bundle up in my chest, holding back the ironic laugh that wanted to surface. For whatever reason, I was kind of looking forward to this, life threatening or not. Why should I be afraid of death when I've already died, right? "Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you." After a moment of no one moving, he returned the hand gesturing to the elevator back to his side.

"Very well. All four hundred and four applicants will participate in Phase One."


	2. Bonding

_Chapter two. I hope it's alright, I felt like it was a bit...odd. Oh well. Enjoy!_

* * *

_The Reincarnation Lottery_

* * *

_Bonding_

* * *

The sound of footsteps was becoming dull. We'd been running for a few hours. Well, Killua and I were using a skateboard and rollerblades, respectively. Thankfully, rollerblading was something I was good at – one of the 'talents' I cultivated in my first life, since I had too much free time on my hands.

He and I were having a conversation about other applicants we thought looked interesting when a loud shout almost sent me crashing to the ground. Killua gave me an amused grin at my small fumble before we both turned to see who was talking to us. My curious face melted into one of concealed excitement.

"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!" Leorio growled and I could faintly smell sweet cologne from where I was.

"What do you mean?" Killua asked curiously.

"I think he means your skateboard."

"Don't act like you're not part of it! You're rollerblading!" Leorio thrust a finger in the direction of our feet at my comment. "That's cheating!" I gave an uncaring shrug – not particularly worried since I hadn't joined out of free will anyway – while Killua questioned _why_ it was cheating.

"Why…," the older teen frowned before bursting out, "This is an endurance test!"

"No, it isn't," a highly familiar boy's voice denied.

The three of us turned to face the third twelve-year-old in the Exam, my heart racing in excitement at the sight of the main character. With his usual green clothing and spiked hair, Gon Freecss ran at a steady pace slightly behind Leorio. For a split second, I mourned the loss of my 5'6 height. "Gon, what are you saying?!" Leorio shouted.

"The examiner only told us to follow him," Gon stated, much to Leorio's frustration as he questioned the younger's alliance. Before he could say anymore, he was cut off as Killua maneuvered over to the other boy, asking for his age curiously. Wanting to see the exchange properly, I swiveled to face them, keeping up a steady pace of backwards skating, hands behind my back to lessen the impact if I bumped into anyone. It had happened quite enough times for me to learn the best way to stop myself from falling flat on my face.

"I'm twelve years old," Gon announced, making Killua give out a thoughtful hum. The white-haired boy turned to look at me.

"And you?"

"I'm twelve, too, apparently."

The assassin raised a brow at the choice of my wording before nodding to himself. A second later, his skateboard was snatched from the air and held under his arm once more. It had happened so fast, I would have missed it if I'd blinked. My lips pursed to let out an impressed whistle as he began to run beside Gon. "Guess I'll run, too."

As Gon began to complement Killua's performance with his skateboard, I glanced down to my skates pensively. Obviously, I hadn't thought this through very much. Unlike skateboarding, you had to actually _change_ out of rollerblades to run. With a small frown, I shrugged it off. I'd get the chance to change back into my shoes when Leorio almost gives up on the Hunter Exam. With little effort, I found the other two kids by my side and I swiveled to face the front once more.

"What's your name?" asked Gon brightly once the other two had introduced themselves to each other.

"I'm Blaise," I answered, lips twitching into a friendly smile, somewhat flustered by the attention suddenly directed towards me. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too!" he cheerily replied.

* * *

It was about two hours later that Gon came to a stop in his running, causing both Killua and I to hit the brakes, as well; mine literally. Leorio was hunched over, hands on his knees and sweat dripping from his chin to the dirt below. Truthfully, I was surprised I wasn't in a similar state. Rollerblading on dirt and uneven terrain usually required a bit more effort than regular skating and we'd been at this for _hours. _I wasn't even winded. I couldn't help but feel extremely empathetic towards the older teen a few meters away. If I was in my original body, I probably would've passed out a long time ago.

Despite my empathies, I didn't hesitate to quickly seat myself on the floor and switch back to my sneakers while Killua unsuccessfully tried to make Gon continue running. I was already standing back up, slinging my bag back across my shoulders, when Leorio spoke up, voice strained and breathe uneven.

"Screw that…," he grumbled before straightening, "I'm gonna become a Hunter! _Damn it all_!" His voice echoed off the walls of the tunnel.

A gust of air followed his path and I closed my eyes contently, bangs brushing against my forehead. My eyes opened again when the sound of a fishing reel met my ears and Gon retrieved Leorio's dropped briefcase without any trouble. It had looked cool in the anime, but seeing it in real life made it seem really surreal. I was pretty sure I was gaping in amazement.

"Cool!" the assassin grinned in childish joy and we began running, not wanting to get left behind any further. "Let me try that later."

"Oh, me too, me too!" I giggled, forgetting I was supposed to be a _boy_.

Gon smiled at us, unfazed by my mistake, "If you let me try your skateboard and rollerblades, okay?"

"Sure," I agreed, glancing down to his shoes before looking to mine. "I _think _we're about the same size." Not that I actually know my current shoe size, I mused.

We all ran in a comfortable silence for a while before we somehow ended up talking about our journey to the Hunter Exam. Gon was detailed, telling us all about his boat ride, meeting Kurapika and Leorio, the one-questioned quiz they'd had to do, the magical beasts, and what he thought of the city of Zaban. As Killua began to tell his story, my attention drifted to other applicants, some who were beginning to struggle and some who were already fallen. I half expected to suddenly keel over myself. This was weird.

"What about you, Blaise? Anything interesting happen?" I blinked over to Killua, internally cursing myself for missing his story. It had probably been an uninteresting experience for him, since he'd just started telling his story about a minute ago and was already done, but I was kind of curious.

With a sheepish grin, I shrugged one shoulder. "Not anything too interesting," I lied, "I barely remember it."

"Eh?" Gon spoke in his innocent way, "Blaise must have really terrible memory if he can't remember something from earlier today." Killua began to snicker at the other's lack of tact.

A small blush burned my cheeks and my hands fidgeted with my shirt's hem. "I didn't think it was important enough," my tone was slightly awkward, hoping the subject would be dropped. There was no real way to explain how I couldn't remember without sounding like a total nutcase.

"You should've seen him earlier, Gon," Killua said in a teasing tone, "He slept like the dead for _hours_. Everybody expected him to sleep all the way through the Exam!"

"Jerk," I mumbled without any heat.

The protagonist gave a laugh at our bickering and soon our idle chatting was broken as we reached the stairs, when Killua decided a race would be fun. Of course, both of us agreed – Gon more receptive than me, since I was almost ninety-nine point nine percent sure I would lose in a race against them both. I was more athletic now, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm on they're level. That was pushing it a bit, if you ask me.

"The loser has to buy dinner," Gon announced. My thoughts of inevitable failure disappeared. I had forgotten about this part. Thinking back, I don't think I saw any jenny in my bag.

"Okay, you're on!"

"Ah, um..,"

"Ready…go!"

With little choice left, I sped up, following their lead. We passed fallen participants, our shoes making dull thuds on the staircase. It was probably only a few minutes or so later when we came across Kurapika and Leorio, just as they were finishing a conversation. While Killua and Gon had no problem greeting them, my face was directed downwards in embarrassment.

It was definitely going to take some time to get rid of my girly habits. I couldn't even look at Leorio properly since he wasn't wearing a shirt. Now, I was in no way attracted to Leorio – he looks like an old man, so that was kind of off-putting – but it felt…_improper_ to look at him now. I know, I know, laugh all you want. It's the way I was raised. Without my father in the picture, I wasn't too familiar with men in general and tended to stick like glue to the females in any group. I snorted internally – _now look at me_.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika," chimed Gon.

"Catch you later, old timer," followed Killua.

"I'm not old," Leorio complained, "I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

Time seemed to freeze for the other three and I found myself laughing at the looks on their faces. A few seconds later, after a few exclamations of disbelieve, the other two were laughing with me. I swear I saw Kurapika coughing quite suspiciously into his hand. Of course, Leorio was offended.

"What?! It's the truth!"

"It's not that we don't believe you. It's just…," my reassurance was coupled with a chuckle and a half-shrug. Carefully, I peek up at him, making sure to only focus on his face. "By the way, sorry for earlier. You seemed pretty upset about it."

Leorio's gruff expression changed to slight surprise. "Ah, it's okay," he muttered awkwardly, almost bashfully, "No harm done."

My mouth stretched in a grin. "I'm Blaise," I introduced after a moment of thought. "The white-haired one is Killua." At the 'unneeded' introduction, Killua gave me a light glare that I promptly responded to by poking my tongue out at him. He responded in kind as the protagonist laughed at our antics. It was kind of fun to get a rise out of him, as long as it was in a playful way, at least. Gon finding it amusing was just a bonus.

"I'm Leorio," the oldest teen introduced before jabbing a thumb in the blond's direction, "This is Kurapika."

Kurapika gave a brief nod to me in greeting. "Nice to meet you," I responded to the both of them politely, "If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me!" I blinked. Woah, where'd _that _come from? 'Feel free to ask me questions'? What was I – a tech-support worker? Thankfully, Killua saved me from any questions the sentence might have incurred.

"Oi, Gon, Blaise, let's go. I want to be the first person to pass the finish line."

"Ah, right! See you, Leorio, Kurapika!" Gon waved a hand at them as we sped up to match Killua's pace. I gave them both a short wave, as well, before turning to face forward. The last thing I needed was to trip on the staircase and tumble to my second death.

"I'm impressed you both can keep can keep up with me," Killua admitted after another hour or so had passed. We were still running up the never-ending staircase, passing people who were giving up left and right. Despite not being tired, I seriously wished this would end already. It was taking a ridiculous amount of time.

"Really?" asked Gon, putting a hand to the back of his head and giving a happy laugh.

Killua gave him a look. "Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow," he sighed in disappointment, "Ah…the Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze. That's no fun."

"Hey, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon questioned curiously.

"Me? I'm not really interested in becoming a Hunter. I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it'd be fun," Killua answered, "But this is disappointing. What about you, Gon?"

"Well, my dad's a Hunter. So I want to become a Hunter, like my dad," the other replied, smiling widely. Seeing this as their sort of 'bonding moment', I kept my lips shut. We all maneuvered to one side to dodge an unconscious person.

"Hmm," hummed the assassin, "What kind of Hunter is he?"

"I don't know." The way he said it was so carefree that it had me stifling a laugh.

Killua had less tact, though, being as blunt as ever. "That's kinda weird," he laughed.

"Really?"

"You want to be like your dad, but you don't know anything about him?" he said in the stead of answering, his laughter quelling a bit.

"I was raised by Mito-san, so I've only seen my dad in pictures." Gon began and at Killua's prompt continued, "Aunt Mito. When he was twelve, my dad took the Hunter Exam. He passed and became a Hunter. Then he left the island. I want to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with me." There was absolutely no bitterness in his voice. Gon was a really admirable person.

Killua stared at him for a moment before looking over to me. "What about you, Blaise?"

I blinked at the sudden attention and my mouth moved on its own accord. Again. "Ah, I'm gonna become an Information Hunter."

Gon looked over to me curiously, "An Information Hunter?"

"Yeah," I answered, "Their work usually includes finding rare books, hacking protected data, and searching for people who have knowledge not known to the public." My brows desperately wanted to furrow as information kept spilling from my lips. This was probably what Mr. Faceless Voice meant when he said I'll know my family and personal background when the time comes.

"Why do you want to be an Information Hunter?" Killua asked and, just like that, the spill of information flooding my mind halted.

What timing, I thought, racking my brain for an answer before shrugging. "Don't remember," I replied.

Killua began to laugh once more, commenting on both Gon and I's strangeness before we were all distracted by a sudden light hitting the sides of our faces. Low-and-behold, the exit was now in sight. There were cries of joy from the participants ahead of us before we all dashed forward, hoping to get to the exit first.

The light got brighter and brighter as we ran higher, passing all the other applicants easily enough. Then we were all crossing the finish line, Satotz just beginning to turn around and I found myself cheering in time with Gon and Killua, for an entirely different reason. My eyes adjusted to the sunlight as we skidded to a stop.

I had actually managed to keep up. It was a joyful thought filled with incredulous awe. Mr. Faceless Voice had completely upgraded me. My puny fifteen year old body would have definitely collapsed under the strain of running non-stop for hours, but this ten year old version of me was…incredible. I felt like I could _fly_. My gaze, which had been resting on my hands, moved upwards to the sky above, drinking in the sights.

That is, until something Gon said made me come back to Earth.

"Then, Blaise can buy dinner!" he stated cheerfully.

"W-What?!" I stuttered in disbelief, "No way! I definitely arrived at the same time as both of you!"

"Liar, I got here _way_ before _both_ of you," Killua interjected.

"Yeah right," I huffed before pointing to Satotz, ignoring my manners for the moment. "Just ask Satotz-san!"

Both of them turned their attention to the man behind us. "Hey, who was faster?" asked Gon, being the one less fazed by this. Both Killua and I were glaring at one another. The thought of having to pay for two dinners without any money was daunting.

"I believe the three of you crossed the finish line simultaneously," the man answered.

"Oh…," trailed Gon, "Then I'll buy Killua dinner, then Killua will buy dinner for Blaise, and Blaise will buy dinner for me!"

"I don't get it," Killua sighed, not seeing the point.

"I'd rather just buy _myself_ dinner…," I winced. Gon disregarded both our complaints, turning to look at the examiner.

"Hey, Satotz-san, is this where the Second Phase takes place?"

"No, we still have quite a while to go," Satotz said.

While Gon made a noise of disappointment, we all headed over to rest at the side of the opening as more people began to filter out. A fog had rolled in, making the scenery smoky. It was probably about thirty or so minutes later when Leorio came stumbling past the finish line, followed by a more composed Kurta.

"Hey, Kurapika!" Gon greeted.

The blond gave him a wave as he glanced around, breathless. "Is this our destination?" he questioned.

"No, it isn't."

"I see," Kurapika said before pointing out, "The fog is fading."

The upbeat twelve year old stood up to take in the sights, a large smile forming on his face. Satotz began his explanation, telling us about the Numere Wetlands, more commonly known as Swindler's Swamp, and how we had to pass through it to get to Phase Two.

"This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful," the examiner warned us, "If you let them fool you…you're dead." At that exact moment, the shutters of the tunnel behind us began to close, stopping a person who was finally about to reach the end. His pleas were cut off as it fully closed.

"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey," Satotz continued without any delay, "An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit, hence the name Swindler's Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived." There was a tense silence among the group of applicants.

"What a joke," Leorio scoffed, "How can they fool us, when we're expecting it?"

"You'd be surprised," I muttered under my breath at the same time another voice rang out.

"Don't let them fool you!"

"I just said that they can't," Leorio retorted, turning to the voice with the rest of us.

"D-Don't fall for it…," a man began to walk from the side of the building, dragging along a body. "He's lying to you! He's an imposter!" His finger pointed accusingly at Satotz. "He isn't an examiner! I'm the real examiner."

Murmurs rang out from the crowd, along with Leorio and Hanzo's distinct comments. "Look at this," the fake examiner told us, tugging out a body that looked eerily similar to an ape version of Satotz. Gasps of shock sounded and I pursed my lips, looking over the others. Killua had a suspicious gaze focused on the two fakes while Gon was surprised by the resemblance to Satotz. The Amori brothers, Hisoka, and Illumi all were smiling, quite unconcerned.

"It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!" the disguises Man-Faced Ape explained, "Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limps are quite long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them."

The Man-Face Ape gestured to Satotz once more, who had been given a wide-berth. "He intends to trap every single applicant!"

"Bastard…," said Leorio.

"He certainly doesn't walk like a human…," Hanzo stated.

Then, just like that, three playing cards had attacked the Man-Faced Ape disguising as the fake examiner, falling dead. My breath was sucked in a surprised gasp. I had known that was coming, but it had been so _quick_. Quick enough to look like blurs before they had landed and faster than they would've shot out of Kaitou KID's card gun. Unbidden, I gave a breathless laugh, whispering under my breath, "Cool~!"

A laugh different from mine sent a shiver down my spine and redirected my attention from the dead ape to Hisoka, who was playing with his cards. "I see, I see…," he crooned and I froze as he gave me a quick glance, "That settles it, then. You're the real one," he stated to Satotz, now looking at him.

I swallowed nervously. This was definitely going to come back to bite me in the ass, I could feel it. Louise, stop being an idiot that's impressed by Hisoka's magic skills! Think of more amazing people – like the Doctor, or Accelerator, or…or Houdini. The train of thought wasn't helping as much as I hoped it would.

"Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack," Hisoka practically purred.

"I shall take that as a compliment," Satotz said, "However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?"

"Sure~"

The loud sound of vultures had everyone turning to see the large birds beginning to feast on the dead ape. "Nature can be really brutal to watch…," Leorio trailed. I was unfazed by the scene. Truthfully, I think I watched too much Animal Planet to be shocked at nature's darker colors. I rolled my heel absently against the ground.

"So he was a Man-Faced Ape, as well," Kurapika sounded a bit worried by this turn of events.

After an explanation of the Man-Faced Apes plan to lure a few others away and a couple sheepish laughs from Leorio and Hanzo, and another warning of being separated from Satotz in the wetlands, we began our journey to the Second Phase. Running through wet ground and thick fog, I stuck close to the other two twelve year olds. While I didn't fear death anymore, it still would be painfully ironic to be killed when I was finally growing to appreciate this new body.

So, when I somehow ended up getting separated from them, I wasn't very amused.


End file.
